With A Chance: The Goblet of Fire
by K823
Summary: Harry wasn't normal, never will be. The visions he always had, and the lack of friends he could explicitly trust to help him ensured that, but a fiery redhead changes all that, thanks to his visions. Now, he might just have a chance at life and love.
1. Prologue

With A Chance: The Goblet of Fire: Harry wasn't normal, never will be. The visions he always had, and the lack of friends he could explicitly trust to help him ensured that, but a fiery redhead changes all that, thanks to his visions. Now, he might just have a chance at life and love.

A/N: First attempt at writing a proper story, feedback would be much appreciated.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with said person. All rights belong to J.K. Rowling.

XXX

With A Chance: The Goblet of Fire

Prologue

XXX

Harry was different. That was it. It was not a very good reason, but it was a good reason nonetheless. He was different than what she expected. He managed to change her expectations of him every time they saw each other. When Ginny first saw the skinny boy, her first thought was that he was a vagrant. She expected him to be muscular, a little arrogant, but that was it.

She was wrong when she thought once he spent some time at the Burrow, he would laugh. He was simply different.

She found herself starting to like Harry Potter, the person, instead of the pedestal she had him on, otherwise known as 'The Boy-Who-Lived.'

She was wrong when she heard about his living conditions. The story from Ron and the twins shook her view of him being pampered.

She was wrong when she thought he would mock her and laugh, just like her brothers often did at times.

Harry made an effort a trying to be her friend, but she knew that she was sabotaging herself in that aspect. She knew he would stop once they reached Hogwarts however.

She was wrong.

It seemed that he actively tried to include her, and sit with her, although his friends Ron and Hermione dragged him off to sit with them somewhere. He always looked crestfallen, though she was yet to understand why. She realized it at once when she heard about a fight the three of them had. It was a small one, but a fight nonetheless.

Apparently, Hermione and Ron were intruding into his life, pushing him to spill his emotions when he felt no need to.

However, he seemed resigned to this, and that faraway look appeared in his eyes, as it often did at times, and he quickly shut them down, stating that if they couldn't trust him, then he wouldn't ever be able to trust them the same way he had before.

The dynamic of the group changed then, and they were seen together, but Harry could be seen just as much, if not more, with Ginny. He tried to strike up conversation, but her shyness killed any conversation faster than an Avada Kedavra.

She was right when she suspected he always kept his word, because he once told her that, out of all the friends he had, he trusted her the most. When she asked why, he simply grinned.

"Because Gin," his grin became wider as he noticed her shock at his use of what he knew was a hated nick name.

"You've never pushed me, although there are times I know you've wanted to, but you're content to let me be and listen, something others won't do." He paused here;

"Although that might be because of a crush you have on a certain black-haired boy," he winked, reached for her hand, and kissed it.

She quickly became as red as her hair, squeaked, and scuttled away.

She was wrong when she thought he would stop shoving hints that he may reciprocate her feelings.

He did, and always succeeded in scaring her off.

She was wrong when she thought he could be taken by surprise. He never could be, as he seemed to simply _know_ things other people did not. Nothing academic, but things that pertained to himself, in some shape or form. She hoped he would tell her why someday, and she vowed to try to get to know him better.

There were two things she was never wrong about, however, and that was the fact that he was human, albeit as close to perfect a human could get, in terms of morals and compassion anyways, but he was human.

The other?

The fact that he truly was a hero, and he always kept his word.

She stated so herself when she and Harry were sitting down one day, and he was giving her the full story of 'The Golden Trio's - as they had been called by some - adventure in procuring the Philosopher's Stone.

He didn't make himself to be too important, minimized himself more like, but she knew that from the occasional slip ups, there were certain things he knew that he simply let Hermione figure out for herself.

When he finished, she regarded him for a moment, and did that bravest thing she could ever do.

She kissed him on the cheek, hoping that it wouldn't backfire upon her.

He seemed surprised, then content, letting a smile grace his features.

"Thanks Ginny."

There was no more to be said, although she did ask him how he seemed to know things before other people, how he always seemed to be ahead of the loop.

At that point, he started rambling on about the weather, and male intuition, but she merely raised an eyebrow.

Harry sighed. "One day Ginny, I'll tell you, but not right now, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I don't even know what to make of it myself, but I will tell you one day."

She knew, from then on, she would find out.

She had almost stopped writing in her diary at that point too, amidst the attacks, and she suspected herself to be the Heir, although she did not want to admit it.

She had almost told Harry, but she was scared off by Percy.

Then came the day she was possessed by Tom, and as she felt him taking over, she felt fear, sorrow, and surprisingly enough, hope.

She realized why once she thought of Harry. Somehow, she knew he would save her.

She wasn't wrong.

XXX

As Harry faced Voldemort, as he now knew him to be, he was assaulted by visions of a hat, a phoenix, and a sword. He squared his shoulders, and faced him down.

The vision came to pass, as most of them did, unless he prevented it somehow.

Some of them detailed the young Ginny Weasley, whom he had gotten to know, once he received dreams and visions of him snogging her in the Gryffindor common room. He had resolved himself to help this vision along, when he received more, and he was shocked to see that he was not truly her friend until near the end of fifth year.

At first, when he was a young age, he did not beleive these sudden visions to be real, but as time passed, he accepted them, as they gave him rather valuable insight into those around him, and so, Harry became much older mentally then he was physically.

Of course, he'd be lying if he said he didn't notice Ginny first thing when he was trying to get onto the platform for the first time.

He mused along, thinking about his growing affections for the young woman, as Ginny was now apt to be called, because he knew that after an experience like that, no one could be able to be called a child anymore, at least, not mentally.

Harry knew that he liked her, maybe as more, but at this point, she was simply too shy to make any obvious moves towards him, aside from the embarrassing ones.

Quite frankly, he found it cute, having never known true love and acceptance. Sure he had Ron, Hermione, and a few others, but no one understood him like Ginny did, and he knew that she felt quite the same way, from one of her confessions to him earlier in the year.

She had all but stated along the same lines he was currently thinking, about needing to get over her shyness before pursuing anything with him, but it had been enough, and the dynamic between the two changed for the better.

As Ginny stirred, he helped her up, and she stared at him for a few seconds before collapsing and spilling everything, much like he had done to her after the argument between Ron, Hermione, and him.

It was one of those things they chose not to talk about. He knew Ron hadn't meant to hurt, he was young, and misunderstood, but Hermione... her remarks had all but broke him, even when he knew that they were coming.

The truth and foresight had not helped the sting once the words were said.

But he did know what to say, as he had already prepared his response. But it was one of those unmentionables, much like the conversations between Ginny and he.

They were the only ones allowed to talk about, well, whatever it was that they talked about

He was broken out of his reverie when she thanked him and stared at him as she waited for him to gather his thoughts.

Ginny knew that Harry wasn't mad, nor disappointed, he was merely pondering things, as he often did.

She had compared him to Dumbledore once and he snorted at that.

"Fat chance I'll be like that manipulative crock," he had said.

When she asked why he was not preferential towards Dumbledore, he paused, then spouted off something about a godfather, Scabbers, Azkaban, a veil, and a prophecy.

Confused, she stared at him, and he waved his hand sheepishly.

"I'm sorry Ginny, it's one of those things, yeah?" Harry phrased it, as if afraid of losing her friendship over his not being able to let her into his life.

She knew he was private at times, and he had every right to be, and she merely forgot about it.

He smiled at her, whispered a few things in her ear that made her blush, then grinned at her cheekily.

"How did you always know what to say to me Mr. Potter?" She flirted with him casually, almost cautiously.

Harry grinned. "Because I can tell the future, think about that for a while now."

With that, he helped her up, grasped her hand, causing her to blush furiously again, and lead her out of the Chamber.

Third year came to pass, and Harry and GInny became ever closer. She was now more comfortable towards him, and they had even exchanged letters on occasion during the summer before third year.

Neither of them were impressed with Ron's attempt to contact him, and they had a good laugh over that for a few weeks.

Ginny always responded the quickest, although that was due, in part, to the Dursley's habit of assigning the most asinine chores to Harry.

Honestly, why would you need to clean a television screen, whatever that was? She knew about his chores and found them pointless.

The year passed, and she found herself privy to all of Harry's thoughts, and what was going on with the Trio and Sirius Black.

She never understood how Harry could claim his godfather was innocent, until at the very end of the year, he told her everything.

She had never known why he hated dementors so, and she found out as he leaned his head on her shoulder.

She shuddered as he told the tale of his parent's murder. He was her best friend, and she knew he felt the same about her, and they both knew they felt more towards each other, although he was loathe to do anything about it, and she knew that he had been stressed lately.

'There's always next year,' she thought to herself wistfully, not knowing how right she would be.

Harry's head had snapped up at that, and she was afraid he had read her mind, but she calmed herself down, that wasn't possible... was it?

Unknown to her, Harry did know, and he smiled to himself, commending her for her ability at predicting him so easily. They flirted occasionally, but Ginny would always be the one to end it. Not voluntarily, but because they were both so outlandish that they said the most rediculous things. Ginny would always end up blushing furiously and changing the topic, something which Harry found adorable.

The summer into fourth year, she was privy to all of Harry's thoughts, and Harry to her's. They both knew that their fourth and third year respectively was the year something would happen between them, one of them more certain than the other, as he had visions of some sort of Yule Ball where he would ask her.

He had smiled, knowing that, at times, his apparent ability Seer abilities - not that he would ever consider the loathesome profession, he had snorted to himself - were not so bad at times.

They knew each other inside out, almost to thepoint of reading minds, with Harry being just a little better at reading Ginny than the opposite of her reading him.

Ron nor Hermione were aware to this fact, and they both had had a good laugh over how oblivious Ron and Hermione were.

Ron had grown up a lot Ginny had told him, and Harry was pleased. Although he could see some instances of the future, it was only when it concerned him, and even then, only when it truly mattered.

He considered himself Lady Luck's child, and had expressed this sentiment to Ginny several times, which always had the both of them laughing uproarisly at the end.

They were two sides to the same coin, even more so then they thought, more so than anyone though.

Except for said Lady Luck and Destiny, or Fate, as she was called. Indeed, they both favored Harry Potter exponentially, and they had cursed the people who placed him with the Dursleys, and they had bestowed upon Harry Potter therare gift of telling the future.

Although it was not the future, it was merely an alternate dimension that was an exact copy of Harry Potter's own.

Or it would have been anyways, if Luck and Destiny had not interfered, but they had seen the end of Other Harry, as they had taken to calling the other dimension, and it was not pretty, so they conspired and plotted, and they came up with "telling the future" so to speak.

They focused upon Harry Potter, who was having another nightmare.

XXX

Harry awoke from his nightmare, dazed and confused, and checked his clock Ginny had given him for a birthday present. It was 4 A.M.

Harry grimaced, knowing he would never get to sleep, and so he lit an everlasting candle that Hermione had given him, and set to work on writing a letter to the object of his affections.

He thanked Hermione mentally, as the candle had been charmed to only light with the Lumos spell, or muggle means, and never went out unless Harry blew it out. It never melted down into a small mass of wax either, for which Harry was grateful.

Harry wrote his letter, detailing the dream, asking Ginny what he should do, and he saved it to be sent tomorrow.

Hedwig had been outside, and as she came back in, she swooped down, grabbed the letter, and flew off to the burrow.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

'That owl's too smart for it's own good,' he thought, before he decided to go back to sleep.

This time, he fell asleep dreaming of days when older versions of themselves sat by the lake with their feet in the water, discussing meaningless things.

He had his first pleasant sleep since the summer had started.

XXXXXXXXXX

So what do you think? This is basically a build up towards what I hope to be, a proper Harry and Giny story.

Feedback would be much appreciated.


	2. Magical Happenings

A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who read the story, and everyone who reviewed, as they can only make me better. I'd also like to further thank whoever nominated the story for SIYE's Best New Story. I feel that this story is rather undeserving of that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With A Chance: The Goblet of Fire

Chapter 1 - Changed Perceptions and Magical Happenings

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hoot hoot. Hoot hoot._

The sleeping red-head silently stirred.

_Hoot hoot, hoot hoot._

Said red-head gave a muffled groan as she was slowly disturbed from her slumber,

The hooting became louder, and the owl began tapping at the window.

_Bugger_, Ginny thought to herself sleepily as she awoke. _If this is one of those ruddy -_ "Hedwig!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw the familiar snow white feathers of Harry's owl.

She fell quiet, listening for any sign that someone had heard her outburst. With bated breath, she heard Ron snort, then resumed snoring. Giving her own snort, she opened her window and allowed Hedwig in.

She deftly reached for the letter that was unusually grasped in Hedwig's claws, instead of being tied on as Harry's usual style.

She blinked, then started blushing furiously, realizing that Harry had most likely had a nightmare and saw fit to tell her as soon as he could, rather than wait until later on in the morning.

_Of course,_ she mused, _Harry probably just wrote this and was going to send it off later on, and Hedwig happened to take it._

She turned to Hedwig beaming. "Thank you," she whispered.

Hedwig gave a hoot that sounded like a strange mix between pride and affection.

Ginny turned her attention back to the letter, apprehensive.

It wasn't that she minded being Harry's best-friend-who-hoped-to-be-more, and she didn't mind Harry spilling himself to her. In fact..

_No, bad thoughts,_ Ginny admonished herself with a blush.

She had grown considerably, filling out in all the right places, she could only be described as having moved on from "cute" to "beautiful" or "gorgeous." Her friendship with Harry had been one of the greatest things that had ever happened to her. She had matured beyond her years. How much was debateable, but it was evident to all but her brothers. She snorted at their over-protectiveness. Harry had taught to stand up for herself, how to look within to find strength, and the most important but simplest thing: how to live.

None of this from Harry speaking of it, one could gleam these little tidbits just from being his friend, by understanding him.

Or by hearing stories of Harry since they could understand basic English.

She had gotten to know Harry on a more intimate level, even more so than his other friends, and that had killed her crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived.

No, she had now fallen for Harry Potter, Gryffindor, handsome, modest, and too noble for his own good.

She couldn't think of anyone else she would rather fall for, but Harry was just so... Harry.

He attracted trouble, he lived and breathed it.

But he was a damn good person, with better morals than a priest, and he knew how to make her feel better even on her worse days, and she knew that she was the same way for him.

No, what made her apprehensive was her concern for Harry's well being, and the contents of the letter. It was no known fact that Harry's nightmares were terrible.

Her only concern was whether or not she would be able to help him, but every time, she never failed; and so every time, Harry looked at her with gratitude, and gratefulness that she could not help but feel like the most important person in the world.

Now, if only she could stop her musings and actually read the letter. Clearing her head of her still some-what fan-girlish thoughts, she started truly reading the letter.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I'm sorry to bother you with this again, but I've had another one of those nightmares, except this time, I think it was real. There was this muggle named Frank, and he stumbled in on a meeting between Peter and Voldemort. He was killed. The worst thing is that the people in in his village will most likely not care. How could anyone have such a disregard for an innocent person? I don't know Ginny, but I think Voldemort's planning something, something to do with a way to bring him back to power, or at least a body. In the dream, he was just an infant, and he needed Nagini, his snake, to be milked in order to survive. I don't know about you, but if I were him, I don't think I would want such a pitiful existence. I do think there's something going on at Hogwarts, there was something said about a tournament. There was also another person there, I don't know his name, but he seems familiar somehow... I just have a really bad feeling about this year Ginny._

_On to lighter topics._

_Did you know that Oliver Wood was recruited by Puddlemere United at the end of last year? He sent a letter to the Quidditch team making the announcement. He also says he has another surprise for us, but he didn't explain any further._

_Thank you for being there Ginny, you have no idea how much it means to me._

_Love,  
Harry Potter, Retriever of Stones, Slayer of Fifty-Foot Snakes, Loved by the Omen of Death, and all other titles involved._

_P.S. I'm thinking of growing my hair out, what do you think?  
P.P.S. Is this right? Seems rather crude... but you look very beautiful today._

Despite the seriousness of the letter, Ginny couldn't help but laugh at the titles Harry had bestowed upon herself, and upon reading the rest, she decided that Harry would look rather sexy with longer hair. Smiling at Harry's compliment, she decided to ignore the red that was slowly coloring her cheeks.

She delighted in being there for Harry, but she delighted even more in being his friend. Lying to him was the one thing she would never do, and she knew how hard it was to gain his trust, his explicit trust. He had stated that no one other than her had that honor.

Not that Harry said it like that, but she knew that if anyone else had been told that, they would have felt the same way.

She went to her trunk, and pulled out an Everlasting Ink quill, a sheet of parchment, and contemplated on what to write.

She laid down on her bed, and slowly but surely touched the tip of the quill to the parchment.

_Dear Harry,_

_I don't like this at all. On the rather high chance that your nightmare was right, I think you should prepare yourself for whatever's coming your way, because Voldemort's undoubtedly going to try something this year. He's a bit predictable isn't he? He tries something once a year, and gets thwarted by The-Boy-Who-Refuses-To-Die. He didn't try anything last year, which I thought was strange, but I suppose it's fitting. As for Frank, it is rather sad, but I do believe you've got your priorities out of order, just a little bit Mr. Potter_. _I also believe you're right, Voldemort doesn't seem like the sort of person, monster, thing that would enjoy being breast fed by a snake, much less by Wormtail. Just keep your eyes and ears open, I'll do the same, but I don't know how much good I'll do, the Burrow's not a main attraction for exciting events you know. A tournament? Harry... I think I know which tournament it is, but I'll have to do some research. Oh Merlin, I sound like Hermione. Please help me Harry, I don't think I could stand it if my hair turned brown and bushy._

_Really? That's great! Tell Wood I said congratulations! I wonder what the surprise is?_ _I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?  
That reminds me, it's August 1, and you had better be looking through that book I got you, I found it in the attic where the ghoul is, and it's full of useful defense stuff, which I'm sure you'll find some use for. The ghoul not so bad really, just seems kind of lonely, banging pipes and moaning and groaning all the time._

_You also better remember we're coming to pick you up later on today, so be ready with your things, our time of arrival will be... whenever we decide, just be prepared._

_You're welcome Harry, you know I'm here whenever you need it, and thank you for being here for __**me**__, Mr. __Harry Potter._

_Love,  
Ginny Weasley, Resident Fangirl._

_P.S. I think it'd look great, but I don't think anything past your shoulders would look too good._

_P.P.S. Harry! Stop! You're making blush! One of these days I might have to pin you down and snog you senseless._

_P.P.P.S. You don't look so bad yourself. You look delicious actually. Rather handsome and sexy if I do say so myself._

Ginny read over her letter once, wondering if she was being too forward. In the end, she shrugged and decide to leave the letter as it was, if Harry was allowed to flirt, then so was she.

_Although it's been going on long enough I think, _Ginny thought to herself, _if he doesn't stop and start going somewhere, I'm going to hex his bits off._

With plans of revenge if Harry did not stop flirting and start going somewhere in mind, she attached the letter to Hedwig's leg.

Hedwig hooted, and she took off out the window while Ginny watched her.

Yawning, she returned to her very inviting bed, and resumed her dreams of Quidditch, and a young, green-eyed wizard.

Outside the burrow, a figure in black watched the owl leave, and once looking around just for precaution, Apparated back to his master.

XXX

Harry awoke and stretched. He sat up, and took note of the sleeping Hedwig, and the letter sitting on his bedside table. Resolving to read it later, he grabbed a towel and headed to the loo. On the way, he bumped into his cousin Dudley, who looked as if he had rather be doing anything else than looking at his "freak" cousin.

Never the less, Dudley turned tail, and ran.

Shrugging, Harry went off and did his business.

Some time later, Harry walked out feeling refreshed, and ready for the day. Harry quickly crossed the hall in hopes of avoiding the Dursleys, and he made it to his room with no effort.

Pausing, he scanned the room critically, and found it to his liking, when suddenly, he gasped as images assaulted him.

The Dursley's fireplace. An ash covered room. Dudley with his tongue elongated, and Ron excitedly telling him about the Quidditch World Cup. All of this went by at blinding speed, and Harry captured all of the information, as if it was suddenly deposited inside his head.

Harry breathed, and at some point, tried to stand up, not realizing he had fallen to his knees. He stood up shakily, and was once again assaulted by images.

A person in red catching a snitch. Ireland losing. Veela. Someone screaming out Morsmordre. An image in the sky. A house-elf. Someone named Crouch.

Harry gasped as he had somehow found his way to his bed. Laying down, he thought about the latest images he had received. They were different somehow, the knowledge that was usually left wasn't there, other than vague hints about the images that stood out. Harry steeled himself, something was going to happen at this World Cup, the only question was when the Cup actually was.

Glancing around for his wand, Harry saw said item on his bedside table, and the letter. Grabbing the wand first, then the letter, he scanned through, the familiar, elegant loops of Ginny's cursive making his heart beat painfully.

Harry grinned as he remember the defense book Ginny had sent. It was old, and slightly tattered, but he had found many useful spells he had been wanting to give a go, especially at Hogwarts, and especially with the news that there was evidently some type of tournament going on. He grinned at Ginny's self-given title, and the idea that she would pin him down and snog him.

What happened to the common room, after the Quidditch game?

He vaguely wondered how they were going to fit the tournament and Quidditch at the same time. Shaking his head, he noted that Ginny's birthday was also in ten days. He pondered what to get her.

Harry also noticed that he was still in his boxers, as that was his normal sleeping attire until he got dressed. Remembering that the Weasleys were supposed to pick him up, he hurriedly threw on some clothes, threw his school things into his trunk, along with _Defensive Magic: The Long Forgotten Art._ When Harry had thumbed through it earlier, he had found that it was an updating copy, updating itself with every new and current defensive spell while keeping the previous pages.

Harry gently prodded Hedwig awake.

"Hedwig, the Weasleys are coming to pick me up today, would you mind waiting at The Burrow for me?"

Hedwig hooted, gave an affectionate nip at Harry's finger, and flew out the window. Harry watched her go passively, before grabbing his trunk and leaving his room.

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry called out as he was walking down the stairs.

"What boy?" She snapped from the living room.

Harry walked to the living room and paused for a moment, subjecting her to his gaze.

Petunia squirmed uncomfortably for a moment as Harry cleared his throat. "The Weasley's are coming to pick me up today, so would you mind-"

Behind the boarded up fireplace, there was a thud.

"By jove, what in the name of-" came Mr. Weasley's voice

"-Unblocking the fireplace so they can-" Harry continued on, unfazed, having seen this particular event in his room.

There were two more thuds and three separate groans of pain.

"Dad? What's going on, why is it all dark in here?"

"George, go stand back-"

"Stand back where?" came the voice of Fred and George.

The fireplace seemed to breathe, before blowing out the wooden boards that had previously nailed it shut, while expelling Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley.

The room was covered in ashes.

"Get out?" Harry finished, a grin threatening to erupt on his face.

Vernon turned purple, and looked as if he was about to start yelling when Harry interrupted him.

"Hello Mr. Weasley, how are you?" Harry asked.

"Erm, what? Oh I'm doing quite well Harry, I suspect Ron has some important news for you. You three go on ahead while I clear this up." Mr Weasley said as he turned around from expecting the wall outlets. "You say muggles use electickity Harry?"

"Erm," Harry struggled not to laugh as the twins accidentally spilled a few brightly colored sweets from their pockets. "Electricity, Mr. Weasley."

"Fascinating, well, I'll just clear this all up for you shall I?" Mr. Weasley said while pulling out his wand.

"NO!"

It seemed as the various color changes Vernon had been going through had given him the courage to speak.

"I will not have anymore freakishness in my house! Get out! GET OUT!" Vernon screamed, spittle flying.

Arthur frowned, "Now come here Mr. Dursley, I-"

What he was about to say was interrupted by Dudley giving a horrible gag and spilling his elongated tongue out. He had evidently eaten one of the sweets.

Petunia gave a shriek of horror and ran to her son, and started trying to rip out his tongue as if it were a wizarding cracker.

Arthur turned to the boys frantically. "Harry, go, I'll get this sorted out. Fred, George, we'll talk about this later. Right now, make sure there's not a repeat from two years ago"

Harry grinned at Fred and George, who leveled him off with their own grins.

He reached for the bag they had produced, knowing that is was floo powder.

He grabbed a pinch, turned around, and confidently shouted "The Burrow!"

The last vision he saw was Vernon shouting while Petunia tried to remove Dudley's tongue by way of yanking.

XXX

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat around the kitchen table, eagerly awaiting Harry's arrival. Ron had tried several times to get Ginny to leave, while Hermione had merely given her smug, knowing looks.

It was all getting on her nerves really, what with Ron's declarations of her not belonging, and Hermione's superior, holier-than-thou attitude.

Ron had said something for the last time, and she was about to reach over and tell him where he could put his declarations, when the fireplace flared green.

Harry stumbled out and landed unceremoniously on the floor.

All was silent, for a few seconds before Ginny started giggling, then she started chuckling, before it turned into full blown laughter.

Harry groaned, before pushing himself up with sudden gracefulness he didn't have before.

Then his vision was obscured by a mass of brown hair.

"Harry! How have you been?" Hermione asked when she finally released him from her death grip. Harry smiled.

"I've been fine Hermione, just fine," Harry said, before walking over and clapping Ron on the back.

"Harry mate, I've got news for you, we're going to the Quidditch World Cup! We leave on the twentieth, so.." Ron had spun off on another one of his Quidditch spiels, but his attention was on another redhead.

Harry gazed at Ginny, noticing, with a suddenly dry mouth, that she had grown a few inches, and then in some other more aesthetically pleasing _areas_. He couldn't help himself as he roamed his eyes over her now shapely figure, stopping for a few seconds on her chest area, which was not hidden at all by the low-cut tank top she wore.

_Breathe Harry, it's just Ginny. It's just the girl who you know you were destined to be with since you were eight. It's just Ron's baby sister, who's became drop-dead gorgeous over the summer._ Harry thought to himself. _Eyes, look at her eyes,_ he thought to himself desperately. Wrenching his gaze from her other features, he stared into her almond brown eyes that shined with laughter, life, and a certain shyness that they both knew they both felt. He also noticed that she had lost a few of her freckles, and that there was a faint blush reaching its way across her cheeks now.

Harry cleared his throat as Ron continued off on his tangent, and Hermione glanced between the two, eyes narrowing.

"So, erm, lovely weather we're having Ginny."

_Bollocks, that's the best you could come up with Harry? You've faced Voldemort and you're getting tongue tied over a girl? You're hopeless. _Harry thought to himself.

"I've been fine Harry, how about yourself?" Ginny replied, now a full on blush attacking her face. _Oh dear Merlin, is it possible for him to get anymore stunning?_

Harry obviously gotten tanner, and was no longer the pale boy from the past years, he had about a head and then some's worth of height on Ginny, and his hair was still messy as ever, though the back reached down almost to his shoulders He now had a leaner muscled build, no doubt from his chores, but he looked filled out, and he carried himself with a sort of... power that wasn't there before.

Ginny glanced down before blushing even further from where her eyes had landed.

She hadn't missed the obviously stunned look in his eyes as he had glanced at her, violated her with his eyes more like, but she found that she didn't mind.

There was silence for a mew more minutes as Harry cleared his throat again, becoming victim to his own blush.

"Er, I've been fine Ginny, you look-" Harry paused, before finding the only word that was on his mind. "-Beautiful."

Instantly, the wall that seemed to have separated them disappeared, and Ginny rushed to give Harry a hug.

Harry accepted and drew her into his arms, thinking about how right it felt to have her there, and how she seemed to mold into his body perfectly.

She used strawberry and cherry scented shampoo. He breathed in the scent, desperately wishing this moment wouldn't end.

Ginny herself had smelled Harry's cologne, what it was she didn't know, it was obviously muggle, but it didn't make Harry any less... Harry.

It was intoxicating, it smelled fresh and clean, it was invigorating. She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about the outside world.

Ron at this point at faltered in his speech, and was staring at the two of them. They seemed to be too comfortable for people who were "just friends." However, he had matured a lot this summer, and so he wasn't as thickheaded anymore.

Ron had, during the time they were sitting at the kitchen table, asked himself, 'Why is Ginny waiting with us?'

The answer had hit him like a ton of bricks. Ginny liked Harry, most likely she felt more than just a crush towards him. This was different from Ginny liking The-Boy-Who-Lived, this was Ginny fancying Harry, his brother in everything but blood, selfless hero, as much as Harry hated the title.

And from the way Harry was hugging his baby sister -here Ron's heart gave a tug- Harry obviously felt the same way. The thought of them dating had crossed his mind every now and then, especially during third year, when Harry was spending the same, if not more time with Ginny then he did with him or Hermione.

After the fight in second year, Ron had respected Harry's privacy, never giving a thought as to what it truly meant to be Harry Potter until then. What had surprised him the most was Hermione however. She seemed to hate the fact that there was another female in Harry's life, especially one that seemed to be taking Hermione's place, and more. Her slights against Harry had not only hurt Harry, but they hurt Ron. It had hurt Ron to see Harry's pain reflected in his emerald green eyes, when Harry always shielded himself.

It had hurt Ron to be the reason why Harry hurt, but it had utterly destroyed Ron when Harry seemed to collapsed upon himself, as if he were steeling himself.

Hermione had not helped matters. Her remarks had been unnecessary. Ron had watched from under the invisibility cloak that night, when Harry and Ginny were the only one's in the common room. He had seen Harry's look of trust, his utter trust in Ginny, something that was not present when he spoke to Ron or Hermione.

It was then that Ron had known the relationship between Harry and Ginny would be something else. He supposed that was when his maturity had started, he had heard Harry spill his heart out, his feelings.

His feelings of betrayal. Ron had vowed never to hurt Harry like that again.

And as he gazed at the sight, he could not help but notice how... right it looked for the two of them to be as they were. Ron wasn't stupid, he had matured, he had grown, he had stood alongside Harry when he faced his terrors, and Ginny had done even more than that, and he couldn't help but be grateful for Ginny's place in Harry's life.

If there was anyone who deserved a chance at love after a life of pain, it was Harry. There was no question

Ron felt the familiar tug at his heart strings as he came to the realization that Ginny Weasley was undoubtedly doing to be Ginny Potter some day. He wasn't the most mature or knowledgeable of his brothers, he knew, but he knew, and had matured enough to see that Ginny would be happy, happier than anyone else could make her.

Ron would not interfere, if it were any other guy, Ron would, but not with this. This would accept, and he would push Harry to pop the question to Ginny, so to speak.

He couldn't help but feel apprehension as he stared at Hermione. Her brows were furrowed, and... was that spite on her face?

Ron studied Hermione impassively, noting her glares increase the longer Harry and Ginny stayed connected.

Hermione knew how Ginny felt about Harry, it was obvious.

She knew about Harry's feeling for Ginny, that was obvious.

What she couldn't understand was what made Ginny so special. Hermione had Harry for one more year than her, then all of a sudden Ginny pops up and steals Harry's attention.

It wasn't that she had feelings for him, it was that Ginny was bad for him. Yes, that was it. It was nothing else than Ginny being too mismatched for Harry. She would have to talk to him, or Ginny, or maybe both. They were destined to fail, Harry was simply too dangerous, and Ginny only loved him because he was The-Boy-Who-Lived.

There was nothing more to it. There was no reason to be. Harry trusted her and Ron the most out of anyone, and no one was going to change that.

All the while, only five minutes had pass between Harry greeting the floor with his face, and the twins and Arthur Weasley appearing in the fireplace.

Raising an eyebrow at the scene before him, he chose to ignore it. There were far worse males for Ginny than his surrogate son. He only hoped Molly would feel the same way.

He turned to the twins, frowning at them

"Fred, George," he said, command in his voice. They turned around, the smile being wiped off their faces.

This was the scene that Molly walked in on. The twins with cowed looks on their faces, Hermione Granger having a rather jealous look on her face, and Ron gazing approvingly, yet sadly, at Harry and Ginny.

Wait, Harry and Ginny?

Molly resisted the temptation to shout at them to separate. There were much more important things to attend to. Harry was a fine young man, proper, polite, and a gentlemen.

Her youngest son Ronald was getting there as well, thank Merlin. She could not fault Ginny's choice in men, but she only hoped that they came to their senses soon. She wanted grandchildren after all.

She turned to Fred and George and drew in a breath.

Harry and Ginny were enjoying their time. Very much.

They heard off in the distance the clearing of throats, but they only separated when Mrs. Weasley asked the question: "What have you two done?"

Separating as if a wall of fire had erupted between them they started stuttering, only for Mrs. Weasley to wave a hand at them.

"Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry, go upstairs. Fred, George, stay down here, and explain to me _what did you do._"

Not people to argue at what was going to be an ensuing bout of rage, they did as commanded, taking Harry's trunk, and leaving behind the shouts of one Molly Weasley.

XXX

The quartet turned into the room that Ron and Harry would be sharing, and all was silent for a moment.

Ron sighed. "Ginny, go to your room with Hermione, I've to speak to Harry about something."

Ginny's eyes flared as she drew herself up, but Harry, being behind her, bent over to whisper into her ear.

"Go, I'll you everything that happens later on tonight, meet me in the kitchen when everyone's asleep."

Ginny turned around to look into Harry's eyes, looking for the slightest hint of deceit. When she found none, she hissed into his ear, "You know it's going to be about us!"

Harry nodded, "I can handle anything he says, don't worry about it, I'll come and get you when it's over."

Ginny sighed, and nodded before giving Ron a baleful look.

She turned, kissed Harry on the cheek, causing Ron's eyebrow to raise, before she left, Hermione in a tow.

Harry and Ron gazed at each other for a few minutes after the Hermione and Ginny left.

The tension rose, then dropped suddenly as Ron sighed and flopped down onto his bed. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright, Ron?" he asked tentatively. Ron merely nodded.

"Yeah Harry I'm just, I just want to know, how long until you ask Ginny to be your girlfriend?"

Harry let loose a breath of air he had been holding as he recognized Ron's tease.

Harry sat down and punched Ron in the shoulder as they both laughed.

"Bugger it all Ron! You had me worried," Harry laughed, but they quickly sobered up as Ron looked Harry in the eyes.

"Listen Harry," Ron sighed, "I just want you to know, I don't like Ginny growing up, she's always been the baby in the family, and that's how I'm always going to look at her as, but I want you to know, when you two start dating, I won't have any problems. Just keep her as safe as you can, yeah?" The pleading tone was evident.

Harry sighed, as his vision passed. He looked up at Ron who was still laughing. Ron calmed down, then stated the question that Harry knew was coming.

Harry could not help but let out a snort. Ron looked at him, confused.

Harry smiled at him, "Ron, I can't keep any promises, but I won't you to know," Harry quieted for a moment as any humor left his tone.

"I would never do anything to hurt her, I would rather kill myself than let that happen, and I would die for any of you three, but-" here, Harry's tone became one of wonder, and awe, and Ron could not help but be a little jealous of what Harry had, before he quashed it down.

"Ginny's special to me, she makes me laugh, and whenever I'm around her, or talking to her, or just looking at her I feel... content, peaceful, like I'm normal, like everything's going to be alright, you know? She makes me feel like Harry, just Harry, and she's not afraid to yell at me when I get in one of my moods. I don't know how to explain it, she's just special, she makes me feel like I'm the only person in the world that matters, you know what I mean?" Here Harry gazed at Ron, willing him to understand.

Ron pondered Harry's response for a moment, before answering. "Harry, I just want you to be careful, okay? Ginny's waited for you for almost thirteen years now, and I just don't want you to get hurt. But it does sound like you two have something special," Here, Ron smiled wistfully.

Ron went silent, before speaking again.

"Look, what you two have, it's amazing, I don't know how to explain it mate but, just watching you two, it makes me feel like you two were _made_ fore each other, and you aren't even dating yet, I just don't want her to start popping out kids before her last name is officially Potter." Ron smiled at Harry.

Harry gaped at him. "So... you approve?"

Ron nodded, "I can't think of anyone better."

Harry and Ron stared at each other as they seemed to both come to an understanding. They both leaned over and hugged each other for a moment, before they let go.

Ron just raised an eyebrow, "Just don't snog in front of me."

Harry grinned, and Ron smirked. "Just ask her to be your girlfriend quickly, alright mate? She's been waiting for a long time, and neither of us wants to watch her date some other bloke, so hurry up."

Ron suddenly frown, "Harry, there's also something about Hermione-"

Harry was surprised at Ron all but telling him to ask Ginny out as soon as he could. Harry opened his mouth, but his response was lost as a loud bang was heard from Ginny's room.

A silent look was shared between the two of them as they both drew their wands from their pockets and left the room., as several more loud noises were heard from Ginny's room.

Harry and Ron met the rest of the Weasleys as they rushed up the stairs. They had evidently heard it as well.

Harry's breath got caught in his throat, however, as he felt unfamiliar feelings of anger and rage swell up within him. He tried to calm himself down, but there was no use as it seemed as if someone else were in control.

Receiving sudden images, he stumbled trying to catch himself, then realizing the contents, he growled and let his anger rise.

Feeling faint, but receiving a burst of energy, he took the lead and pounded up the stairs, leaving cracks in the stairwell, unnoticed to all.

XXX

Ginny stomped around her room, Hermione gazing on apprehensively.

"Ginny-" she started, but she was interrupted by Ginny furiously drawing her wand and waving it around, causing sparks to fly.

"GINNY!" Hermione finally screamed. Ginny calmed down, and gazed at the destruction she had wrought upon upon her room.

Her clothes were everywhere, and she spotted one of her bras on the floor. Leaning to pick it up, she tossed it onto her bed.

Hermione steeled herself, "Ginny, I don't think you should be with Harry."

There. She said it. She was surprised to find, however, Ginny gazing back at her with an indescribable look on her face.

"Why?" was the only thing that left her mouth.

Hermione drew in a breath. "I just don't think you two are right for each other, and you know how Harry gets, he's broody and depressing-"

"You forget that I'm the one who brings him out of his moods," Ginny stated softly, yet dangerously.

Whether or not Hermione understood the tone was unclear as Hermione drew in another breath.

"Harry's attracts a lot of trouble, do you really think you can handle that?" The superior tone was not lost on Ginny, neither was the implication that Ginny was somehow less suited for Harry.

Ginny's eyes flashed, and her anger rose.

"If you've forgotten, _Hermione_, Harry and I have been talking about getting together for _years_, so don't speak of things you don't understand."

"Well, if you've forgotten, Harry is dangerous! He doesn't need the responsibility of a girlfriend! If he did, he could surely do better than some floozy who'll spread her legs at the first chance like you!"

Hermione immediately gasped and clasped her hand to her mouth.

Ginny froze, and time seemed to stand still as they both froze. Then...

_**BANG!**_

There was a loud blast of magic appearing as Ginny felt her rage glowing.

The dresser drawers all came flying out of their proper places as everything sped up. She could feel her own rage growing, as an unfamiliar force in her mind quickly tried to calm her down, but that only exacerbated the anger she was feeling.

There were several pops and crackles as she felt the unfamiliar presence in her mind rise to anger as well, making the situation all the more worse.

She drew her grandmother's wand, magic sparking up and down the length and aiming it at Hermione, although her rage made her blind and as a result, her arm was shaking so much that it was highly doubtful that she could have hit a barn.

Magic sparked at the end of her wand, one could describe it as electricity crackling, before her window blew out.

_How dare she, that-that, that, foul little... how dare she even think that I'm nothing more than a low slag!_ Ginny though furiously, before the door opened, and Hermione and Ginny whipped their heads to see who had came inside of the room.

There was Ron, who looked apprehensive as he surveyed the damage. There were Fred and George, looking awestruck. There were her mum and dad, looking fit to burst, but seemingly calming down.

Then there was Harry. His posture radiated power and strength, along with rigid resolve, and as she met his piercing green eyes, understanding seemed to pass, before he calmed down, and Ginny felt her own anger fall.

Hermione instantly started babbling. "Harry! I don't know what happened, we were just talking then-"

"Save it," Harry growled. All was silent as Harry seemed to draw himself up, still staring into Ginny's eyes. He had seen and heard everything at some point, rushing up the stairs. Although there was still an unfamiliar presence in his mind, he decided to let it be, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Ginny knew that the lies spilling forth from Hermione's mouth would not be believed, she had know the instant that she connected eyes with Harry, he somehow knew everything that had happened.

She chalked down to another one of the mysteries that was simple Harry Potter. As she saw him calming down, she began calming down to.

Not quite what to do, everyone else stayed back.

Ginny still had her wand raised when it gave a violent shutter, cracked, and fell apart, leaving only the handle.

The silent noise seemed to stir everyone, and Hermione choked, quietly began sobbing. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Well, why don't we all head downstairs, get some tea started would you Molly dear? I think we could all do with calming down..."

Molly hustled downstairs, as did the rest of the Weasleys.

Harry and Ginny were the only ones left, as Ginny flung her wand aside, and truly let the implications of Hermione's comment sink into her.

She rushed into Harry's arms, and sobbed for the first time since her second year, with Harry, once again, becoming her pillar of strength and support.

XXX

All was silent later on that night, as Harry went downstairs as quietly as he could, as to not disturb the rest of the sleeping Weasleys.

As he stepped into the kitchen, he found Ginny already waiting for him. After the earlier events, they had went downstairs, Hermione had apologized, and Ginny accepted the apology, albeit coolly.

There still seemed to be a wall spanning the size of Hogwarts between the two, however.

Harry was just fine with that, he had heard Hermione's comments, although he wasn't sure if it was through vision or not, and he himself was rather frosty towards her, as was Ron, after Harry told him about the events.

Harry gave Ginny a short hug, and they sat down in opposite chairs, content to sit in silence for a while.

Ginny was the first one to break the silence.

"So what did Ron say?"

Harry grinned. "He just told me he approved you know, and that he loved the both of us, you know, all that stuff."

Ginny smiled, "Really now Mr. Potter? So he approves of our forbidden romance?"

Harry snorted. "It's not so much as forbidden as we don't know what to do with our feelings."

"Or rather, you aren't man enough to do anything about your feelings." Ginny challenged.

Harry kept quiet.

"I knew it," Ginny said triumphantly. Sidling over to him, she rose and sat on his lap, leaning into him.

Harry stiffened at the unfamiliar action, before letting the familiar feelings of peace wash over him.

And they were content with the silence once more, fighting sleep.

After a few minutes, one of them spoke.

"Harry?"

"Mm?"

"Are you ever going to do something?"

"Mhm."

"When?"

"You'll see."

Silence passed again.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for the book, would you like to practice some of the spells with me later on, at Hogwarts?"

"Mhm, m'ore welcome," was the mumbled response.

Silence again, as they both fought sleep, content to stay in the position they were in.

Harry listened as Ginny's soft breathing slowed, and she fell asleep. He rose, carrying her bridle style, and walked up the steps, making sure to avoid tripping.

As he entered her room, he set her down softly on the bed, and put her covers over her.

As he stared at her sleeping form, the question swirled in his mind. _'Are you ever going to do anything about it?'_ The teasing, sad yet hopeful tone making it's way into Harry's brain.

Harry steeled himself, mentally egging himself on. _Come on Potter, you've faced down dementors and Voldemort, you can show a girl that you're not leading her by the nose._

Harry summoned every ounce of courage he had as he glanced down at her prone form.

Harry prepared himself for whatever repercussions might come as he leaned down, and kissed her.

His breath hitched inside of his throat as he felt waves of pleasure surface through out him. It started off with a tingling sensation beginning where their lips met. It continued to grow until Harry was feeling warm all over, with his stomach doing whirls, he found it to be a pleasurable experience. It was as if he was flying, and falling as fast as he could.

He was free, he was content, he was happy, he had everything he would ever need.

Then, Ginny start kissing back, and Harry nearly pulled away, until her hand came to rest on his cheek. It was burning hot, and it was as if they became one, united being as waves of passion and an electrifying sensation passed through the both of them.

Something deep in both of their subconscious screamed it's pleasure, and gratitude, before it disappeared.

After a few minutes, the wave of sensations trickled down slowly, and Ginny removed her hand, and Harry stood up.

As he ran his finger over his lips absentmindedly, he began to smile, and felt truly at peace with the world, even more so than just being near Ginny would have done.

He glanced down and saw the smile on Ginny's lips. Maybe it had all been his imagination?

However as he left, he couldn't help but wonder how this would change things, if she truly had been awake. He wondered if she had felt the same feelings he did.

Something assured him that she had.

As he left, he glanced over at his sleeping beauty, although Ginny would stubbornly deny it.

"Goodnight Ginny," he whispered.

As he opened the door, he began thinking about what Voldemort had in store this year, and how he would even begin to understand and survive them, if his visions were any indication.

"Goodnight Harry," came the whisper as he shut the door.

Harry's thoughts suddenly turned more cheerful, and as he got into bed that night, thinking about Ginny's soft lips, he realized that whatever happened, he would get through with Ginny by his side.

That night, at the Burrow, two people dove into shared dreams of a wedding, and children named James, Albus, and Lily.

All the way at Hogwarts, Fawkes the Phoenix stirred from his slumber. After casting a watchful eye around the room, whispered voices in his head surfaced.

_**And so it has begun. **_Fawkes flamed to an unknown location.

Deep within the ministry, in the Ever-Locked Room, a.k.a. The Love Chamber, there was a flash of fire, and an Unspeakable appeared. He rushed to the fountain of Amorentia in the middle of the room and gazed in to it, listlessly watching a red-haired woman and a green-eyed man kiss.

So few people understood the concept of love, and even fewer understood the implications of human nature. It was rare, the unspeakable mused as he pulled out his wand, for any one to find their proper soul mate, especially in a world drowning in human emotion. People rarely understood that the person that was meant for them, was usually in front of their eyes all along.

They try to find someone better, or they ignore the signs, or they simply choose to believe that they knew better. Human minds were fickle.

As the figure dipped his wand into the fountain, a golden white light erupted and tendrils of magic began illuminating the area, before rushing off towards a book so deep in the recesses of the fountain, only a faint yellow glow could be seen.

Deep inside, a book glowed as the swirling magic entered the book.

The book opened, accepting the magic, and the yellow light faded completely, etching yellow letters unto the pages.

There were a few entries here and there, but there was only two entries on each page allowed for some unfathomable reason.

_**James Potter, Married to Lily Potter nee Evans by Magic and Human Observance.  
Magical Observance: January 1, 1977  
Human Observance: September 2, 1980**_

_**Harry Potter, Married To Ginevra Potter nee Weasley By Magic Observance**_  
_**Magical **_ _**Observance: August 1, 1994**_

Yes, there were many ways to get married. Magic itself existed all around; in nature, everywhere. Magic was not constrained by mortal affairs, it could recognize Rites, Ceremonies, Emancipations and the like. Magic could also recognize when two people were truly made for each other. A magical observance of a marriage granted full rights to those involved, but it was hard to find two people who were perfectly matched to each other, there were few who entered the book.

Magic was always watching, always observing, and that was how James Potter was entered, along with his wife. They were married by magic all by a simple kiss.

Magic did know best after all, it knew everything. It knew which marriages would fail and which would last.

Magic also recognized true love, although it rarely interfered with mortal matters.

Magic was intelligent, it was its own being, though few realized that.

The figure smirked as another thought crossed his mind.. It seemed as if the young Potter had continued the Potter curse for red-heads. Much earlier as well. The figure laughed and removed his hood. A long white beard was seen, with glasses in front of blue eyes that sparkled with amusement. The figure quickly transformed back into a phoenix, and flame traveled back to the office of Albus Dumbledore.

And when Albus Dumbledore appeared in his office, he saw Fawkes, fast asleep on his perch.

XXXXXXXXXX

Who can guess who the Phoenix is?

A/N: Finally got this chapter churned out. This was a pretty lengthy one, almost eighteen pages. I had some trepidation about whether or not to use a bond, so I found a middle ground. Rest assured, this is NOT a soul bond fic, and I refuse to make it one. As for the length of future chapters, I can not yet say how long they will be, although they WILL always pass the 2,500 mark, and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't consistently pass the 3,500 word mark. Until next time. Reviews only make me better.


End file.
